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Steffanay is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Steffanay family lived in Pembrokeshire which is derived from the Old English word Stybbanhyp, meaning the dweller by the landing place.
The surname Steffanay was first found in Pembrokeshire at Prendergast. Alternatively, the name could have derived from Stepney, which is today a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End. The place dates back to c. 1000 where is was listed as Stybbanhythe and later in the Domesday Book it was listed as Stibanhede. In this latter case, the place name meant "landing place of a man called Stybba." 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steffanay research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1618, 1621, 1640, 1643, 1663, 1676 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Steffanay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Stepney, Stepny, Stepnie and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir John Stepney, 1st Baronet; Sir John Stepney, 3rd Baronet (1618-ca.1676), a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1643, supporter of the Royalist side in the English Civil War; and George Stepney...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Steffanay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Steffanay or a variant listed above: Thomas Stepney who settled in Virginia in 1610; ten years before the "Mayflower"; followed by Thomas in 1624; and Samuell in 1670; John Stepney settled in Baltimore Maryland in 1775.